


A First Kiss, and the Memory of Another

by Daffadowndilly



Series: Zutara Week 2018 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Children, Drabble, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, First prompt, Fluff, Zutara, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2018, i'm tryna crank this out before midnight my time, idk - Freeform, kiss, not that it really matters, since my time zone is way wack anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 18:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15491568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daffadowndilly/pseuds/Daffadowndilly
Summary: Zuko and Katara kiss their baby for the first time.





	A First Kiss, and the Memory of Another

Zuko looked down at the warm bundle in his arms. It was heavier than he had expected, wrapped up in a mound of blankets. Everyone had sent blankets. It had started to get irritating, if he was being honest. And was usually Zuko being honest.

He let his eyes wonder over the fabrics for a moment, they had chosen two from among the enormous pile for this occasion: One was a silk-soft blanket with designs of dragons stitched in red and blue, breathing flames of real gold. The second was a swirling patchwork design of blue, gray and white, made of a cloth almost course to the touch. Zuko's mother had embroidered one a very long time a go, and Zuko's wife had sown the other.

Gently, almost uncertainly, Zuko pushed the blankets aside with one hand, so that the little face beneath was revealed. He started a little, to see her eyes were open. Her tiny little fingers were closed around a fistful of blanket. He stared down at her, overwhelmed.

He must have stared a very long time because eventually a voice spoke, "Zuko? Are you OK?"

He gasped a little as he looked up, realizing as he did so that he hadn't taken a breath since the child had been placed in his arms. Katara had been watching him from the bed, eyes now clouded with concern. He didn't know how long he'd been standing here, stone-like and silent, staring at their firstborn, but judging from her worried face it had been awhile.  
Careful not to jostle either Katara or the baby, Zuko moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I thought I was ready--" He ran out of words again. But it didn't matter. Katara looked at him for a moment, eyes searching and mouth in a tight, hard line. Then suddenly she smiled.

"It's ok, Zuko," she reassured him, "It can be a scary. Nobody really expects to love them that fast."

Zuko looked back at the little girl in his arms, "yeah." He said it with more feeling than the word have ever been intended to carry. As he watched, the little fingers twitched, the little eyes opened wide and the little mouth opened wider. She was yawning. He heard himself laugh a strange stuttering laugh, an even stranger feeling in his chest. Almost as soon as her yawn subsided, their little girl abruptly fell sleep. Being born must have been exhausting.

Without ever really deciding to, Zuko leaned down and pressed a kiss to the wispy dark hair, and another to the soft forehead. He gazed down at her as he brushed a finger across her chubby little cheek. A moment later and he was startled by a hand touching his own cheek. He looked up to meet Katara's eyes, they were filled with delight.

He suddenly became aware that his chin was wet. In fact, so were his cheeks. How embarrassing.

"Don't worry sweetheart," Katara said, addressing their baby as she, too, pressed a kiss to the little forehead, "he cried the first time he kissed me too."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did."

"That was rainwater, Katara."

"I think a waterbender is qualified to tell the difference between rain and tears, and you were definitely crying. See, when it comes from the _sky_ , it's rain; when it comes from the Firelord's _eyes_ , it's tears."

"You were drenched too! It was rain! I did not cry."

"Rain isn't salty, Zuko."

"How would you know it was salty?"

"Because I tasted it? As it was rolling down your face? While we were kissing?"

"... I didn't cry."

"You're crying right now."

She had him there.

"It's alright," she said, with that wonderful smug voice she used when she thought she was right, "it was super romantic."

"Shut up."

"Hmm, make me." She always used that one on him. He'd said it  _one time_  and she'd never let it go. She might eventually, if he ever stopped responded exactly the way he was supposed to, but he didn't really want to do that either. So, resigning himself to a lifetime of mockery, he leaned forward to kiss her.

They'd never kissed with a baby held awkwardly between their bodies, but Zuko got the feeling that might become a regular thing. One of Katara's hands was still holding his face, thumb gently caressing his cheek and brushing the ragged edge of his scar, her other moved to pressed against Zuko's arms where they curled around their little girl, their joined arms forming a kind of cradle.

Zuko pulled back a little to smile against her lips, and felt her smile in answer before he leaned closer to kiss her again.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> ZUTARA WEEK!!  
> Haha sorry if this ficlet is awful, I'm typing like mad and publishing it without editing. Maybe I'll go back and edit it later if I like it. I just wanted to contribute something for each prompt this week!  
> 


End file.
